The National Border Patrol Council would like to thank both President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Pence for seeking our opinion about the nomination of General Kelly as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. We have faith in President-Elect Trump, and although General Kelly does not have immigration experience, we recognize that he comes in with stellar credentials. We caution however, that because President-elect Trump's meteoric rise was built on border security, we believe no other cabinet level nominee will be under more pressure to produce.

Editor’s Note: This Op-Ed was exclusively provided to Breitbart Texas by the executive board of the National Border Patrol Council, the organization representing approximately 16,500 of our nation’s Border Patrol agents.

Approximately 6 months ago, CBP Commissioner Gil R. Kerlikowske officially announced the hiring (appointment) of Mark Morgan, one of the Obama Administration’s top risers within the FBI. Morgan is the same FBI Agent that a number of congressional offices believe “scrubbed” FBI training manuals of information that would have been damning to the agency and the Administration. Chief Morgan is a disgrace to the Border Patrol.

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Rudy Lopez was arrested on Monday on charges of harassment. These charges were part of a chronic situation which had previously been reported to the Border Patrol chain of command in the Laredo Sector.

Numerous grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, and complaints had been lodged against Lopez only to be swept under the rug by Laredo Sector management. Lopez would then file complaints against the complaining agents and Union representatives through Customs and Border Protection's Joint Intake Center. This systemic abuse of the grievance procedure and Joint Intake Center left agents with no other recourse than to contact local law enforcement authorities. After finding probable cause that Lopez had committed these crimes, he was arrested and booked before posting a $3,000 bond.

The National Border Patrol Council and its subsidiary locals seek to resolve issues at the lowest level possible. In cases like this one, where Border Patrol managers condone, aid, and cover-up the criminal actions of other managers, there is little recourse but to seek assistance from other law enforcement agencies.

The National Border Patrol Council would like to congratulate Mr. Trump on his election as the 45th President of the United States of America. We look forward to working with the Trump transition team to finally give the American people the border security they have been demanding. With the support of President Trump, agents will be able to fully enforce our nation’s immigration laws and protect our borders.